In this post, I would like to begin by talking about inheritance and transition into improvement and talk about how these two can work together. In class we began to discuss the issue of inheritance and bigotry, and whether they go hand in hand. Based on my reading of Mansfield Park it seems as if inheritance and bigotry are inherently brought down from parents, influencing the lives of their children. We are introduced to a family who focuses on status and in the monetary gain one acquires from marrying someone who can either continue the upward trend (money) or who enhances how society views one’s family. As we begin Austen’s novel, we are immediately thrown into the lives of a family who expresses their interest in marriage and what it means for women and their families, “All Huntingdon exclaimed on the greatness of the match, and her uncle, the lawyer, himself, allowed her to be at least three thousand pounds short of any equitable claim t it. She had two sisters to be benefited by her elevation,” and it is from this one paragraph that I began to realize that there is more involved in the inheritance besides the gaining of status. Based on the quote, what we inherit can cause a shift in family dynamic and change how we perceive a certain group of people. It is also clear that individuals must choose carefully when picking a husband, so not only they improve but their families name improves as well. What makes the issue of inheritance so interesting, is that in the text, the family inherits Fanny, who changes the family dynamic in such a way that it causes the family (in my opinion of course) to find it necessary to prove their kind hearted reasons for their many actions. The conversation between Sir Thomas and Mrs. Norris also shed some light on how important it is to preserve the family image, and Sir Thomas makes it a point to emphasize that if Fanny is not up to the standards which are upheld by the family, then she will no longer be welcomed in the home. “We shall probably see much to wish altered in her, and must prepare ourselves for gross ignorance, some meanness of opinions, and very distressing vulgarity of manner; but these are not incurable faults---nor, I trust, can they be dangerous for her associates,” and it is fair to say that they have inherited this mindset about Fanny before she has had the chance to enter into their home. As I move further into the novel the inheritance of Fanny and the overall attitude the family has towards her because of her lack of status and upbringing, I begin to see how certain characters are improving, especially Fanny and Sir Thomas. Fanny begins to take the form of an outspoken young woman, and her status in Mansfield also begins to change, “Not only at home did her value increase, but at the Parsonage too. In that house which had hardly entered twice a year since Mr. Norris’s death, she became a welcome, an invited guest; and in the gloom and dirt of a November day, most acceptable to Mary Crawford.” Fanny as began to inherit the kind of life that her cousins have had all their lives, improving her own in the process. Sir Thomas, when he comes back from Antigua, shocks Fanny by his sudden improvement in kindness towards her in the home. “And on perceiving her, came forward with a kindness which astonished and penetrated her, calling her his dear Fanny, kissing her affectionately, and observing with decided pleasure how much she was grown!” a glimpse into the new character that Sir Thomas may newly possess” (195). Although this occurs before Sir Thomas berates Fanny for not wanting to be with Henry Crawford, we do begin to see a man who improves in character. I think that looking at Mansfield Park through the issue of inheritance and how it affects the mind of each character and how it can help to improve an individual is important. I am still working on how to transition from one to the other smoothly, using different examples from other texts to help support the idea that inheritance plays a large role.
In class we began to discuss the issue of inheritance and bigotry, and whether they go hand in hand. Based on my reading of Mansfield Park it seems as if inheritance and bigotry are inherently brought down from parents, influencing the lives of their children. We are introduced to a family who focuses on status and in the monetary gain one acquires from marrying someone who can either continue the upward trend (money) or who enhances how society views one’s family. As we begin Austen’s novel, we are immediately thrown into the lives of a family who expresses their interest in marriage and what it means for women and their families, “All Huntingdon exclaimed on the greatness of the match, and her uncle, the lawyer, himself, allowed her to be at least three thousand pounds short of any equitable claim t it. She had two sisters to be benefited by her elevation,” and it is from this one paragraph that I began to realize that there is more involved in the inheritance besides the gaining of status. Based on the quote, what we inherit can cause a shift in family dynamic and change how we perceive a certain group of people. It is also clear that individuals must choose carefully when picking a husband, so not only they improve but their families name improves as well. What makes the issue of inheritance so interesting, is that in the text, the family inherits Fanny, who changes the family dynamic in such a way that it causes the family (in my opinion of course) to find it necessary to prove their kind hearted reasons for their many actions. The conversation between Sir Thomas and Mrs. Norris also shed some light on how important it is to preserve the family image, and Sir Thomas makes it a point to emphasize that if Fanny is not up to the standards which are upheld by the family, then she will no longer be welcomed in the home. “We shall probably see much to wish altered in her, and must prepare ourselves for gross ignorance, some meanness of opinions, and very distressing vulgarity of manner; but these are not incurable faults---nor, I trust, can they be dangerous for her associates,” and it is fair to say that they have inherited this mindset about Fanny before she has had the chance to enter into their home.
As I move further into the novel the inheritance of Fanny and the overall attitude the family has towards her because of her lack of status and upbringing, I begin to see how certain characters are improving, especially Fanny and Sir Thomas. Fanny begins to take the form of an outspoken young woman, and her status in Mansfield also begins to change, “Not only at home did her value increase, but at the Parsonage too. In that house which had hardly entered twice a year since Mr. Norris’s death, she became a welcome, an invited guest; and in the gloom and dirt of a November day, most acceptable to Mary Crawford.” Fanny as began to inherit the kind of life that her cousins have had all their lives, improving her own in the process. Sir Thomas, when he comes back from Antigua, shocks Fanny by his sudden improvement in kindness towards her in the home. “And on perceiving her, came forward with a kindness which astonished and penetrated her, calling her his dear Fanny, kissing her affectionately, and observing with decided pleasure how much she was grown!” a glimpse into the new character that Sir Thomas may newly possess” (195). Although this occurs before Sir Thomas berates Fanny for not wanting to be with Henry Crawford, we do begin to see a man who improves in character.
I think that looking at Mansfield Park through the issue of inheritance and how it affects the mind of each character and how it can help to improve an individual is important. I am still working on how to transition from one to the other smoothly, using different examples from other texts to help support the idea that inheritance plays a large role.